1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component and to a multilayer ceramic electronic component.
2. Description Of Related Art
In accordance with a recent trend for the miniaturization of electronic products, multilayer ceramic electronic components have been required to have a small size and high capacitance.
Various methods have been attempted to decrease the thickness of dielectric layers and internal electrodes and increase the number of dielectric layers and internal electrodes in multilayer ceramic electronic components. Multilayer ceramic electronic components in which the thickness of dielectric layers are decreased and the number of stacked dielectric layers are increased have been recently manufactured.
As external electrodes have been required to have a decreased thickness, a problem in which a plating solution permeates into a chip through the thin portions of the external electrodes may occur, such that it is technically difficult to miniaturize the multilayer ceramic electronic component.
Where the external electrodes have non-uniform shapes, there is an increased risk that the plating solution will permeate through thin portions of the external electrodes, such that a problem may occur in terms of securing reliability.
External electrodes formed using an existing dipping method, or the like, may be formed on head surfaces corresponding to end surfaces of a ceramic body in a length direction and on four surfaces (hereinafter, referred to as “band surfaces”) contacting the head surfaces. In such a case, it may be difficult to uniformly apply a paste for forming the external electrode due to dispersion in the body and fluidity and viscosity of the paste, such that there may be differences in the thickness of the applied paste.
The plating solution may permeate through a portion of an external electrode where the paste is thinly applied due to a decrease in density of the portion, such that reliability is reduced. In addition, glass beading or blisters, where glass is exposed to a surface, may be generated where the paste is thickly applied, should the thickness of the plating layer be increased to solve a plating defect and a shape defect.
When the thickness of the applied paste is thin and uniform, a formation area of the internal electrodes may be increased, such that capacitance may be significantly increased as compared to an existing capacitor having the same size.